Conversion of the electrophoretic pattern of type IV hyperlipidaemia to type III by intravenous heparin.

Heparin was given i.v. to subjects with type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia who had only ordinary pre-beta lipoproteins and no late pre-beta lipoproteins (LP-beta) in their very low density lipoproteins (VLDL, d less than 1.006) upon agarose gel lipoprotein electrophoresis. Within 15 min the electrophoretic pattern of VLDL had changed completely. The normal pre-beta lipoproteins had disappeared and a discrete LP-beta lipoprotein had appeared. This new electrophoretic pattern, induced 15 min after heparin, is similar to that diagnostic of type III hyperlipoproteinaemia. It is suggested that the LP-beta lipoproteins represent an end stage in the catabolism of VLDL.